Wing of flying-machines.



PATENTED JULY 24, 1906.-'

J. HOFMANN.

WING 0P FLYING MACHINES. APPLIGATIO'Ij FILED JUNE 27. 1902.

Inventor: 0 555? HoFMMN by" W/ Atty Q-PATEN ED JULY 24, 1906. V Y J. HOFMANN.

WING 0F FLYING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 27, 1902.

-2 simms-snm z.

. 5 1 suitable brackets 2 and 3, in-which is jourtion.

UNITED s'ri 'rns Josnrn HOFt IANN, or BERLIN, GERMANY.

WING or FLYING-MAQHNES.-'

' Specification of Letters Pag To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, Josnrn Hommnm'a subject of theGerman Emperor, residing at 71 Belle-Alliance-Strasse, Berlin, Germany,

have invented certain new and useful IIn-- 'provements in the Wings for Flying Machines, of which the following is a specifica Where kites, aeroplanes, or other flying machines or apparatus are provided with carrying-surfaces, such as parachutes and the like, it is important in their flight that these surfaces should not be 3 read out until they are about to be used an that they should be kept closed when not in use. This is done in a more or less perfect manner by birds in the use of their wings. 1

In those cases where the construction of the wings of insects has been imitated too great a rearward extension ofthe surface has been obtained for repose and for movement of the machine running on the ground or too small a lateral projection of the surface for =flight. The wings of flying-machines should therefore be articulated similar to the wings of birds or bats-that is, they should be subdivided into three ormore parts, said. parts being in articulated connection with each other, so that they'are enabled to turn'as a Whole in the same direction or in opposite direction to each other, just as, for an eXample, the human arm can do when it turns I straight in the shoulder or when upper arm,

forearm, and hand are bentin a zigzag line.

i In the accompanying drawings, which rep-' resent my invention in its simplest form, Fig ure 1 is a front elevation, and Fig. 2 is a plan, of a left.hand wing of a flymg machine. Fig. Y 3 shows the same wing when turned in its shoulder somewhat forward, and Fig. 4 when folded together. Fig. 5 is a transverse sec tion of the wing at B B, Fig. 2, when stretched out; and Fig. 6,'a side elevation of the wing when folded together. Fig. 7 shows a top view similar to that shown in Fig. .2, except that the Supporting-srnface, which is formed in Fig.2. by one single sail, is subdivided at 7 into six sails.

. lhe reference-letter 6 indicates aportion of'a flying-machine which is providedwith naled a -Connected'with the shaft fis a pair of parallel girdensections a and a. The outer ends of the girdensections a. and (if are connected in any suitable manner with a shaft f. Also connected with the shaft f is a pair of(parallel'girder-sections b and b, the .outer en s of which are suitably connected with a shaft f, .With which is also connected a pair of girderi lisections sand 0, the outer ends vof which are suitably connected with a shaft f i It will be understood that the several pairs of girdensections are pivotall connected, and thus adapted to be folde togetheror straightened out in the manner hereinafter described. Each pair of parallel girder-sec' tions preferably is connected by a diagonally' extending brace-rod h, which may be arranged either as shown in Fig. 1 or Fig. 5 -l\ Iour'1 ted between the shafts f, f, f and f in such manner as to pass behind the brace-rods h is a plurality of web-carrying rods i, i", and i.

Extendingwrearwardly from each of the.

v Patented m 24,1906.

are connected by a plurality of rear rods k, k, p a e and 7c. Each of the rods g, g, 9 andg is stiffened by a brace h, Figs. 5 and 6, in suit-' able connection with the shaftsf, f, f and f The inner rearwardly-extending-rod'g that is, the rod nearest the ship-body e-is formed at its rear end with a handle 9 and is. adapted to be locked in any adjustable position by a suitable pin adapted to enga' c any one of a series of perforations in abrac et 9 The inner rod 9 is rigidly connected at its forward end to the shaft f, so as to hold said shaft stationary or to'rotate it'slightly whenever necessary irrespective of the independ ent pivotal movement of the girder-sections a, and a on said shaft f. 'Rigidly con nected with the upper end of the shaft f in any suitable manner, so as to be under the control of the handle-lever g", is a peripherally-grooved disk or controlling member 0,

which is geared up in any suitable manner,

as by means of an endless belt, with a similar disk 1), journaled on the shaft fand rigidly connectedwith the girder-section b by means;

Journaled' upon the shaft f of a bracket b rod and rigidly connected with the girder-section a by a bracket a is'a diskg, which is suitably geared up with a disk r, journaled upon the shaft f 2 and rigidly connected with the girdersection 0 by means of a bracket 0 Con-- nected with the web-carrying rods 'i, i, and a} in any suitable manner are webs or spritsails i i i each having a diagonallyex-' tending sprit or stiifeningmember Z. The

sprit-sail L in. addition to being-secured to to the rods 'i and i are secured to the rear- 5 wardly-extending rod g". The sprits Z are free at their rear ends and are so connected at their forward ends'with-one of the shafts f and f that their free rear ends can drop down,

into the position shown in Fig'. 6 when the sprit rc' sails or webs are folded, as hereinafter de-.

scribed. a V

The girder section o'has at its inner end an arm s, to which is secured a link-rod n, the

opposite end of which isconnected'with the r5 piston-rod of a cylinder m, adapted to be operated in any suitable manner. 7

. Constructed as described thedevice is operated in the following manner: When it is desired to,fold the 'wlng into the position so shown in Fig. 4, the cylinder m is operated to swing the first or-inner girder-section a in a rearward direction. By reason of the fact that the disk or controlling member isheld.

. stationary during the rearward swinging I a movement of the girder-section a the disk 1) is rotated on the shaft f in such manner as to s the second girder-section b in a for we direction. The disk g being held against rotation during therearward move- '30 ment of the section 0 causes the disk 7 to rotate in such manner as to swing the girdersectio'n 0 ins; rearward direction with respect tothe section b. I

The line S S in Fi 2 and 3 indicates the 5 center of: balance w 'ch the'win occupies when the air-ship is moving in a orizontal Ifthe be moved forward to the SS, the Jesse .will be guided upwardor caused to soar, and. ifthe wing be moved 4o rearward. the vessel will 'lide downward.

' :n eiiorwardandbackwar adjustments of wing are secured by simultaneously opthe cylinder m and the handle-lever the wing is moved forward, as shown 5 in F' 3, the handle 9 is simultaneously movers outward .so, as to cause the disk or Q controlling member 0 to rotate with the wing,

whereby all the other disks or controlling members 1;, and 1- remain stationary with respect to t e 'girder-sections'and the relative. positions of the girder-sections are not changed. In other words, when the handlelever g? is moved simultaneously with the cylinder m the wholewing is swung forward 5 or backward without causing the sections to fold on each other, but when theinner girdersection a, is moved by the cylinder m while the disk 0 is held stationary by the handlelever-g the several girder-sections are folded on each other in the manner previously described.

It will Mohamed from Fi 8.2 and'3 aim the sprits l are of such lengt that they fit underneath the rear rods k, la, and k, Figs. 2

6 5 and 3, or undemeaththe rearwardly-extending rods 9, Fig. 7, at their rear ends. As the pressure upon the wing of an air-ship is practically upward on account of the tendency of the ship to descend, the rods k, k, and k brace the free rear ends of the sprits l, and thus im part to the wing the necessary r' 'dity.

. It is obvious that many modiii c ations may be. made in the construction of parts of the device without departing from my invention.

Thus sails of different shapes may be substi- 75 tuted for the sprit-sails shown, or the parallelograms 'i g k 9 may be divided into smaller parallelograms, as shown in Fig. 7, so that instead of a single sail for each divisionof the wing several sails might be used, especially in larger machines. It is also evident that the system of bracing might be materially changed in many ways and that, the girders ht be du licated instead of being single, as iown.

aving thus described my invention, what I claim as new therein, and desire to'secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A wing having a plurality of girder-sections pivota ly connected with each other end to end, mechanism for simultaneously folding said sections upon each other, and. webs connected with said sections. i l

2. A wing having a plurality of girder-sections pivotally connected with each other, and means controlled by movement of one section for folding or unfolding the other sections.

3. A wing having a plurality of pivotallyconnected I 'rder-sections, means opera upon one 0 said sections for folding and un- :00 folding-said sections, and means for moving 1 the entire wing.

4. A wing comprising a plurality of ivotally-connected girder-sections, a pluraiity of rearwardly-extending rods connected with 10 5 the girder -sections, and webs connected with said girder-sections and rods.

' 5. A wing comprising a plurality of ivotally-connected girder-sections, a plura ity of rearwardly-extending rods, and a plurality of I to webs, each of said webs being connected along its forward edge with one ofthe girder.- sections and along one of its side edges with one of the'rearwardly-extending rods.

6. A wing having a plurality-0f irder-sec-' tions pivotall connected end to en and controlling'me'm ers mounted in line with the pivot-points of the girder-sections for controlling the movements of the sections.

7. A wing having a plurality of girder-sections pivotally connected end toend, means for moving one of said sections, acontrolling .member mounted in line with the pivotpoint of said last-mentioned girder-section, means for holding said controlling member stationary or operating it independently of said lastmentioned girder-section, and a plurality of other controlling members suitabl connected'with the first-mentioned contro ling. member. and mounted in line with the I3 *snpport, a plurality piirotoints of the otherLgirder-sections for contro ling the movements offsaid sections.

8. The combination of a'support, a'ninner girder-section pivotally'connected with said of. other girder-sections pivotally connecte end to end with said in neigirder s ection and witheach other, means-for moving the inner der-section, a controlling member mounte in line with the pivot- Boint of the inner section, alhan'dle-lever for olding said controlling member stationary or for. moving the same, and a plurality of other controlling members mounted in line with the ivot-gointsof the other girder-sec ly 'connected with the first-' tions'an .suita mentioned controlh member for controlling. the movements 0 the sections.

.9. A wing having a plurality of girder-sections pivotally connected end to .end, a plurality of-rearwardly-extending rods pivotally connected withthe girder-sections, a .ylurality of webs, each vconnected along its orward. edge with one ofthegirder-sections an d alon one of its side cdges-withon'e of the rearward y-extending rods, and. a stiffening member extending dlagonally across each of said Webs.

10. A wing having a. plurality of girdersections-pivotally connected end to end; a

' plurality of rearwardly-extending rods pi'YotF ally connected with said girder sections, a, v i plurality of rear rods, Parallel with the girdersections and pivotaly connected withthe rearwardlyextending rods, a plurality of webs each connected alongits forward edge with one of the girder-sections and along one of-its side'ed es with one of the rearwardly extendin re s, and a stifi'ening member extending iagonally across eachof ,sa d webs.

WOLDEMAR HAUPT, HENRY HASPER. 

